Virtual Spelunking:
Gather Information about Caves from a Variety of Sources

Internet Resources

Skills

General Infomration about Caves:

• Glossary of Speleogical and Caving Terms
• Rocks and Images (U. S. Geological Survey)
• Geology of Caves (U. S. Geological Survey)
• Cave Facts (American Cave Conservation Association)
• The Importance of Cave and Karst Systems (National Park System)
• The Adversities and Threats to Cave and Karst Systems (National Park System)
• Cave Geology
• Earth's Water: Groundwater (U. S. Geological Survey)
• Groundwater Information (U. S. Geological Survey)
• A Karst Primer
• What Is Karst?
• Conservation of the North American Cave and Karst Biota
• The Virtual Cave
• Cavern Classroom: Geology

Information about Specific Caves:

Lurrary Caverns (Virginia) Mammoth Cave (Kentucky) Colossal Cave (Arizona) Cumberland Caverns (Tennessee) Carlsbad Caverns (New Mexico) Endless Caverns (Virginia) Howe Caverns (New York) Kartchner Caverns (Arizona)

Jewel Cave (South Dakota) Wind Cave (South Dakota) Skyline Caverns (Virginia) Bluff Dwellers Cave (Missouri) Mercer Caverns (California) Cave of the Mounds (Wisconsin) Shenandoah Caverns (Virginia) Crystal Grottoes (Maryland)

• Evaluating Web Sites for Authenticity...How to evaluate information using the criteria authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, and usability
• Comparing Search Tools on the Web...Learn the various search engines and why each produces a different set of results.
• Choosing the Best Search Tools for Your Task...Learn when to use which search engine.
• Using the Internet...Basic tips for using information found on a webpage
• Using Online Encyclopedias ...See help section on each encyclopedia website
  

Fee-Based Databases

Skills

 The New Book of Popular Science is an in-depth Science resource that includes:

SciClopedia NewsBytes

Science Projects Biographies SciZone

SciFiles SkyWatch

eLibrary provides full-text magazines, newspapers, books, and transcripts--plus thousands of maps, pictures, web links, and audio/video files

SIRS Knowledge Source a comprehensive database portal which is comprised of 4 different reference databases: SIRS Researcher, SIRS Government Reporter, SIRS Renaissance, and SKS WebSelect.

Updated daily, SKS provides relevant, credible information on social issues, science, history, government, and the arts and humanities. Full-text articles, graphics and Internet resources are carefully selected from thousands of domestic and international publications and respected organizations.

How to use the features in SIRS Knowledge Source, such as:

Quick Search Advanced Search Topic Browse Features of each database

Analyzing search results Saving search sessions Emailing results home

Tips to optimize your search in SIRS Knowledge Source

Print Resources

Skills

•  School Library Media Center
  • Use the Library Catalog to locate nonfiction books about geology and caves such as Guide to American Caves.
  • Check the Reference section of your library for subject encyclopedias about geology and caves such as:
    • Encyclopedia of Caves & Karst Science (Fitzroy Dearborn)
    • Encyclopedia of Caves (Elsevier Academic Press)
• Public Library
  • Check your public library's online catalog for items you may wish to check out.
  • Click here for the Baltimore County Public Library.

Online Interactive Information Services